Maine was in the 2020 election spotlight, but Mainers voted like Mainers

PETER VAN ALLEN In Freeport, U.S. Senate candidate Sara Gideon's hometown, campaign signs showed the array of candidates.

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By Peter Van Allen

Maine was very much in the spotlight this election.

President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Bangor a week before the election to generate support. And with the balance of power in the Senate at stake, the race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, against Democratic challenger Sara Gideon was a record breaker when it comes to campaign spending.

Collins won the election and a fifth term in the Senate. Like Trump, she did better in northern Maine. In the battle for Maine’s electoral votes, Trump won the 2nd District, garnering one electoral vote. Biden received the other three. (Maine and Nebraska are the only states that split their electoral votes among presidential candidates.)

While Maine's popular vote also ended up going to Democrat Joe Biden, who received 52.9% of it, Collins’ victory showed once again Maine voters’ willingness to split the ticket. Mainers demonstrated their tendency to vote based on how much they like the individual candidate not by party affiliation. It may be why Mainers elected U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, twice to the Senate and twice as governor. But we'll save that discussion for another election year.

The race for campaign funding

In the race for cash, it was Gideon who brought in the campaign donations.

The Gideon campaign raised $69.5 million through Oct. 14, according to the Federal Election Commission. Of that, the campaign spent $48.85 million.

By comparison, the Collins campaign raised $27.1 million and spent $23.6 million through Oct. 14.

It’s no coincidence viewers felt bombarded with campaign ads. It wasn’t just TV spots either. YouTube, Facebook and other social media channels were also inundated with ads. It was the most expensive Senate campaign in Maine’s history.

Broken down by donor group, Gideon’s largest proportion of donations came from those who gave $200 or less; her campaign $30 million from that category.

Collins’ largest base of donor support, generating $7.16 million, came from donors writing checks for $2,000 or more.